Posts by: Matthew Hranek

There has been a fair amount of press around the new directions JC Penney has been taking under the leadership of Ron Johnson (of Apple and Target fame). I was a bit surprised when I heard Nick Wooster (men’s fashion world street style icon ) had made the move from stints at Neiman’s and Park […]

I have been advocating knife purchases for children for sometime (see my post from last year.) Usually I advise finding some vintage model in your local flea market that has some history or patina—one that is a bit worn down and dull that can’t cause too much damage or carnage. Well, if fleas aren’t your thing […]

He’s a man with a great eye–an uber-creative who does everything from branding to publishing in his role as the co-founder of Partners & Spade, and was the founder of Jack Spade, and co-founder of Kate Spade. We asked him to tell us how he’s spending his day: How does Father’s Day ideally unfold for […]

My brother and I were obsessed with track ball in the 80s. Imagine jai-alai meets lacrosse meets backyard catch. It’s a great alternative to Frisbee. Because the ball is so light, you don’t have to worry about breaking windows either. We just picked up ours for 25 cents at a rummage sale, but you can […]

Glenn O’Brien’s bio is an impressive and lengthy one. He’s a writer, editor, and creative director, and has contributed to pretty much every magazine that counts (Interview, Rolling Stone, Vogue, and Esquire to name a few). Glenn has had a TV show, produced music and made movies. I read his GQ column “The Style Guy” faithfully each […]

It is now full on BBQ and cookout season and for those of us who only use charcoal for grilling those burgers and dogs there are some decisions to be made. That decision is what type or brand of carbon do we chose to do the deed. I only use hardwood charcoal – Royal is […]

Just because you are a new parent doesn’t mean all your good design taste has to go out the window. Choosing great looking kids’ toys that may have to live out in the open can be a challenge, particularly if you do not have the luxury of spaces dedicated solely for kid play. Big plastic […]

After the first time my buddy Ian’s son Beckett (age 5) saw the original Rocky movie, there was no turning back—he was obsessed. He could not get boxing off his mind. He watched ALL the other movies in the Rocky franchise and then watched them again. When I came over to visit he told me […]

I’ve had a pocket knife as long as I can remember. I think I got mine when I was about eight years old, and no, I did not grow up in the countryside. I grew up in a mini-metropolis. There was no practical purpose for my dad giving me that knife (no game to skin […]

I ran into my friend Bill at a deli in the West Village and immediately noticed his cool gold cufflinks, which looked like pieces of molded clay. But what they actually were was chewing gum that his kids had chewed, and his wife, designer Cynthia Rowley, took out of their mouths and cast in gold. […]

Dress up taken to the streets…I love it when I see some kid out and about on the streets dressed up like a fireman, super hero, rabbit, ballerina, whatever. I saw a 2- or 3-year-old in full head to toe fireman gear today. Awesome and big ups to the parents who run with this.

I’ve spent a lot of time with Dewey over the years. He always seemed to follow the Neverland dream (Peter’s, not Michael’s) of never growing up. And the way I see it, that’s the perfect philosophy for fatherhood. Dewey is fun, patient, and spontaneous. He has great style and knows his way around a Broadway […]